Two buy to let investors who breached planning regulations by converting a house into seven studio flats have been ordered to pay a total of £116,000.
Islington council had previously asked Efstratios Filis-Gelagotis and Andreas Charalambous to cease using the property in the borough as studios, after it was found that the property had been converted without proper planning permission.
Islington’s planning enforcement notice, issued in December 2013, required the unauthorised use of the single-family dwelling to studio flats to cease within six months.
However the flats continued to be let out, despite further warning letters from the council, so a decision was taken to prosecute and in October last year Filis-Gelagotis and Charalambous pleaded guilty to failure to comply with the enforcement notice.
Now Blackfriars Crown Court has ordered the two men to pay a fine of £5,000 each and legal costs of £4,000 each. They were also each ordered to pay £49,000 - £98,000 together - made from renting out the flats between July 2014 and October 2015, under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The property has since been converted to a six bedroom house in multiple occupancy, after planning permission was granted in October last year.
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